Little Thief
by StarWarrior72
Summary: Everyone gets lonely.
1. Chapter 1

Staring out at the Imperial Center, Palpatine simmered. Empire Day was coming, and he knew that it was cause to be, if not happy, at least satisfied. But he wasn't. It had been five years since he had recruited Lord Vader, but still his apprentice brooded over the deaths of his wife and his unborn child.

It was pathetic. By now, Vader should have gotten over it, added it to the list of injustices that would bring him power in the Dark Side. But, no, Vader actually seemed to feel responsible. For the first time in his life, Palpatine sympathized with a Jedi. Teaching Anakin must have been a nightmare.

He sighed. It was time to do something about this. Or at least check how deep the streak ran. He called his apprentice up to his chamber and summoned the young woman. Short, with long, curly brown hair, she looked a lot like Padme. The appearance was held together by the way she held her round belly.

Palpatine sneered at her. She was perfect. The perfect test for his conflicted apprentice.

Vader walked into his master's private quarters, fuming. He had been on an important mission, but his master had insisted that he come for some test or another. Lost in thought, he almost tripped as he spotted his wife.

Taking a closer look, he realized that it wasn't her at all, but another pregnant woman. He slumped slightly in disappointment and continued his march towards his master's throne.

"Yes, Master?" he asked.

"Ah, my apprentice, I have another test for you, my friend." The Emperor's chilling tones were enough to make the young woman start to cry.

Vader glanced over his shoulder at her. "Why is there a woman in your quarters?" he asked bluntly.

"It is all a part of your test, my apprentice. Kill her." He ordered coldly.

Vader turned to stare at her. She was crying even harder now and trying to protect her swollen belly.

"Kill her. Choke the life out of her." Palpatine snarled.

She stared helplessly at Vader, wide brown eyes frightened. He stared back at her, dumbstruck. Kill her? I can't kill her! It would be too much like killing Padme all over again! I can't do that!

"Kill her, or I will. And I assure you that she would not go peacefully."

The woman looked away from Vader's mask, tears of fear glistening on her cheeks. Vader's heart clenched, but he knew it would be better for him to end her life than to let his master torture her before he did.

Summoning the Force, he lifted her off the ground and started to choke her. Much to his horror, the woman's eyes snapped back to his mask and there was pleading there.

"Please! Don't! Even you can't kill an innocent baby, can you? At least let my child be born!"

Vader felt himself start to shake and he dropped the woman. She crumpled to the floor and Vader could see her shoulders shaking as she cried. He turned to his master and shook his head. He couldn't find the words he would need to try to explain his feelings, but his master wouldn't care about them anyway.

The Emperor didn't speak, just lifted the woman off the ground with Force lightning. Vader stared in horror as she twisted in the air, screaming, but still trying to hide her belly from harm.

"Look at that, Lord Vader. Look how she protects her baby, even at the cost of her life. Isn't it sad that not all parents love their families like that? Just think what the galaxy would be like if there were more parents like this."

Vader spun to glare at his master, but the screams from behind him sent him flying back to the woman, dragging her out of the murderous blue energy. They tumbled to the floor together and Vader carefully prevented himself from falling on her. Instead he crouched over her, protecting her from further harm.

"What's happening?" she asked. He just shook his head. This was not the time for that kind of explanation.

"Just stay down until I say to run, do you understand?"

She nodded in terror. Vader stood back up and turned to face his master.

"I hate you."

The Emperor gave a false, fatherly smile, "I know you do."

"I hate you more than all the old Jedi put together. Obi-Wan too."

"I'm sure you do."

"I should kill you. I could kill you."

"Could you? You're not so strong anymore, my friend." The Emperor feigned curiosity.

"I could. I will." Vader snarled. It wasn't a great idea, but it was the best distraction he could think of. He was fairly sure he couldn't win. It might even kill him, but the woman could get away. He hoped.

He drew his lightsaber and watched as the Emperor followed suit. Then he attacked. There was no pattern to his attack, just a flying leap and then swipes fueled by his anger and hurt.

The Emperor was easily beating his apprentice when Vader called over his shoulder to the woman to run. The Emperor took advantage of his apprentice's momentary distraction to flip the saber out of his hand.

He ignored the woman as she ran out of the room as fast as she could. Instead, he pushed his apprentice down to the floor.

"I was afraid of this. You haven't progressed at all. She was just another woman. Why didn't you just kill her? It would have been simpler."

"It would have been wrong." Vader said. He knew that it wasn't an especially valid response, but it was his reason.

"And all the other acts you've committed while being a Sith aren't? Not even killing your own wife?"

"I didn't say that."

The Emperor sighed, "Leave, Apprentice, and meditate on this." He let Vader stand again.

"Yes, Master." Vader left, seething.


	2. Chapter 2

Vader entered his kitchen and sighed. The thief had visited him again. As usual, the child, Vader was fairly sure it was a child, hadn't tried to be destructive. It was just small things that made it obvious that he had been there. A little thing that he had tipped over, a small food item he had dropped on the way back to his exit. And, of course, whatever he'd taken.

This made up his mind, Vader was putting in cameras. He retrieved some small cameras and combined cleaning up and hiding them.

The next morning when Vader checked the kitchen, the thief had visited again. He accessed the memories of his hidden cameras.

A small boy, maybe five, crawled out of a vent. He was dressed in light clothes that were a little bit small for him. He climbed onto the counter and started rifling through the closets and pulled out a few unopened boxes of cereal and pasta, obviously far more than he had eaten in months, he was very thin. Not wiry thin, starvation thin.

Vader watched as the boy jumped back off the counter and dropped the food through the vent, and then crawled back in himself.

That boy is not just stealing for himself, Vader thought. He must be trying to feed his family. I can relate.

When he went to bed that night, Vader left some food in a grocery bag for the boy. He also included some clothes for the child and a note.

Little Thief,

You are providing for someone other than yourself. There are better ways to provide for your family than to steal. If you need work, you could be a messenger for me. If you aren't feeding a family, if you need somewhere to live, you may join me here.

Lord Vader.

He looked at the note again. This is pathetic. I'm a Dark Lord of the Sith. I shouldn't be begging a thief boy for his company. Still… the boy needs help; that much is obvious. He looked at the note and the little arrangement of food and added a mug of water.

Luke crawled up the duct. He hated this part. Once he was inside there was the adrenaline of trying to get through without being observed, but for now he had to be completely silent as he inch-wormed his way up a hot vent with a steady wind trying to blow him back down. Finally he reached the grate that led to the kitchen and pushed it out, tumbling inside.

He lay on the floor catching his breath from the long crawl for several moments. Then he sat up and stared. The man he was here to steal from had arranged some food right by his entrance. There was also a small pile of clothing.

He slipped over to the small pile and picked up the shirt. He looked into the grocery bag and saw that it really was full of groceries, This is too good to be true! I won't have to go into any more homes tonight!

He refolded the shirt and a piece of durasheet fell out. He picked it up and looked at the words that were printed on it in tight, neat printing. I wonder what this says. Maybe Don will read it and tell me what it means. He's mean, but I think he might have time for this. Luke carefully folded the paper and slipped it into his pocket.

He reached for the bag of food and noticed the mug of water. I can't take that with me. No one will know if I drink it. He took the mug of water and drank it slowly. It had been years since he had had really clean water. Being enslaved by a sewer gang really diminished the water quality.

Leaving the mug behind, he pushed the grocery bag back through the vent and crawled back in. He could slide a little bit if he pulled his sleeves over his hands, but it could be loud. Oh, well, if this person didn't mind being stolen from, he wouldn't mind if Luke made a bit of noise on his way back out. Luke carefully slid to near the bottom of the vent, then carefully braked and crawled the rest of the way down.

He scrambled out of the heating system and onto the street. Instantly, he spotted his owners skulking in a side lane. He dashed over to them without checking that the coast was clear of pedestrians, eager to show them what he had found today. As soon as he was in reach, the woman grabbed his collar and dragged him close.

"Stupid boy! You should be more careful!" She threw him into a large wicker basket that the man was holding. They used it to sneak him away in case anyone saw him.

As Luke curled up in the basket, he felt the man hoist it up. He put the bag of food down on the bottom of the basket and held in there with one foot. He wasn't supposed to move any more than absolutely necessary, so he lay still. Suddenly the basket started to bump along and he knew that he had not only been spotted, but that whoever had spotted him had also seen his owners.

He started to cry quietly. It wasn't often that he was seen, but whenever it happened he was beaten for it later. He had never gotten anyone else caught, though, so his punishment this time would be even worse. At last he felt the bump that was the man dropping the basket in their alcove deep in the underground of the Imperial Center.

A hand reached in and pulled him out of the basket. It was the man, "What were you thinking, stupid boy? We won't be able to rob any more houses for weeks! Did you think about where you'll be getting food for that time?"

"I got lots of food tonight, though!" Luke protested. He held open the bag and showed the older man what he had managed to get.

"That is pretty good, boy. You didn't steal all this yourself. You were always too much of a wimp to take as much as possible. Who helped you?"

"He'd left it out for me! And he left this too," Luke continued, pulling the scrap of paper out of his pocket.

Don pulled it out of Luke's hand and read it. His face grew dark as he read the note and when he was done he passed it back to the boy.

"Well, Boy, it seems our time together is over. I will have to report this, and you know how He takes these things."

Luke started to shiver helplessly. He didn't know what Don was talking about, but the tone made it sound like a very bad thing for Luke. "What kind of thing? I don't know what the note said! What's He going to do to me?"

Don smiled coldly at Luke, "I doubt He'll trouble himself with you. He will assign me a new slave and let me end you."

"What?" Luke started to cry in terror.

Don laughed and grabbed his collar, dragging him into the huge cavern that housed the slaves. He left Luke crying in fear and curled against one damp wall. Finally, Luke's sobs stopped as similar cries from other children, echoing in the vast space, gave way to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

As the intruder alarms blared, Vader's eyes opened and he gazed blearily around the pod before waking up properly. He made the system pinpoint the source of the intrusion, fully expecting it to show the kitchen, but instead it focussed on the front door. Engaging a camera, he saw a small, bloody body on the step. Beside it sat the bag of food he'd left for the young thief.

His heart clenched. Force, that can't be the same child… Vader stood up and ran down to the doorway. As quickly as he could without further damaging the child, he gathered it up and carried it inside. As he raced to his hanger, he checked the boy's vital signs. Heartbeat: regular, breathing: shallow…

He kept the fragile body on his lap as he flew to the nearest medcenter. When he arrived, he scrambled down as fast as possible and took the child straight into ER. As he rested the boy on the bed, he finally took notice of all the child's wounds.

The boy's hair was gone. Judging from the bleeding of his scalp it had been pulled out in clumps. His whole body was bloodied. His finger and toenails had been pulled out. So had his teeth.

A human medic came over to the bed and distracted Vader from his survey of the boy, "Hello, Sir. What do you need done to the boy?"

"I would like the child healed as best you can." Vader noticed a note pinned to the front of the child's shirt and took it off.

"Yes, Sir. You should take this too, unless you want the bacta to ruin it." The medic carefully uncoiled one little hand and passed Vader another scrap of paper. "Would you like to come and keep an eye on the boy while he's in the bacta tank?"

Vader nodded curtly and gathered the little body. He followed the medic to a small, dark room with a single bacta tank. The medic reached out for the child's body and Vader relinquished it. He watched as the medic carefully readied and lowered the child into the bacta. When the thin body was immersed in the healing fluid, the medic left to deal with other patients and left Vader alone with the unconscious child.

Vader watched the child bob, his head lolling, for several minutes. Then he turned his attention to the two sheets of durasheet he had been passed. He instantly recognised the note he had left for the child. It was the one that had been clutched in the boy's hand. He unfolded the other, the one that had been pinned to the front of the shirt, and started to read.

Lord Vader,

I am Don. I have raised the boy you refer to as "Little Thief" from infancy. I stole him from an orphanage myself. I am a part of the Imperial Center's underground. As a slave, he has stolen from thousands of homes. He has committed enough crimes to be killed under your regime. But that's not what you want to know about the boy you offered to adopt. The boy you killed.

His name was Luke. He was five. He would have loved to join you. He grew up lonely and unloved. All he ever knew was hatred and uncaring. He was illiterate. When he asked me to read him your note, this was the response he asked me to write you.

"Dear Mister Vader,

I can't wait to come to stay with you! Can I really? You really want me? Do you love me? No one has ever loved me before!"

That was all he had to say. When I explained to him that we couldn't let him go without jeopardizing our operation he cried and begged. When I told him what we would do to him instead, he just asked to be allowed to hold your note until it was over. I let him. But first I had him dictate another note to you. This is what he wanted you to know when you learned he was dead.

"I wanted to come to you. I really thought they might let me go. I want you to know that I don't blame you. You never meant this to happen. You really seem to have wanted me to love you. You really did seem to want me. I love you! You were really nice to me! Please don't be sad!"

Now he's crying too hard to talk anymore. He's terrified. We fed him a good meal of the food you left him and let him dress in the clothes you gave him. The boy is more comfortable than he has been his entire life. But he's more scared too.

His torture is starting now and he's screaming. He's calling for his dead parents. Just "Mom" and "Dad", he doesn't know what their names were. We don't even know his last name. And can you guess who else he's calling for? You. The boy is crying for the only person who ever tried to make him happy.

We will leave him on your doorstep, still alive so that you can watch him die. There is almost nothing to be done for him now. Isn't it ironic that you can end the lives of thousands with just a few words, but you can't save this one little child?

Vader read and reread the note. So much of it was too true. It all hurt. He had tried to help someone, but instead he had just caused more pain. He could kill so many people, but he couldn't save those he loved. He had never been able to.

The medic entered the room with another patient who needed the bacta treatment and took Luke out of the tank.

"The bacta has done all it can do. All there is left to do is wait, I'm afraid. There is another medic in the hall who will lead you to a recovery room." The medic passed the child to Vader. The small body seemed so fragile in Vader's arms that he was momentarily frozen with horror, terrified that he would drop the child and the boy would shatter when he hit the ground. Then the medic started to prepare the next patient and Vader carefully carried the boy into the hall.

A female medic waited on the other side of the door. In true Imperial xenophobic style, she too was human. She led Vader into another small room, hooked Luke up to an array of machines, and left him alone with the unconscious child. Again Vader waited with the boy.

For hours Vader waited with the boy. Finally the first medic entered the room and looked at the variety of systems and displays. He turned to Vader, "Has he moved?"

"He has been breathing."

"Yes, but has he actually moved."

"No."

"In that case, it is unlikely that he will survive. Should I disengage the life support systems?"

Vader's heart clenched, "No! Just a few more hours! Give him a little longer to live!" He was instantly embarrassed by his outburst, but still unwilling to lose the child.

"All right, Sir. But only a few more hours. After that we will need the room for other patients."

Vader stared at the man who was bold enough to challenge him. The man didn't amend; he just turned to deal with the other patients. Vader put one hand on the child's chest, "Hold on, Luke. Move. Just give me a sign."

The small body was motionless.

Three hours later, the medic was back again. Vader felt tears on his cheeks as the man started to untangle Luke from the life support. Suddenly, Luke blinked. His eyes were open for a moment, and then they closed with equal suddenness.

"Stop! I saw him move!" Vader reached out and stopped the medic physically.

"I'm sorry, Sir. It's clear that he meant a lot to you. I'm sorry. It's hard to lose someone who was important to you. It is understandable that you would like to believe that he will survive."

Luke gave a little moan that the medic seemed not to hear.

"Did you hear him? He made a sound."

"Sir, your son would never wake up. He would just be in a coma forever. It's best that…"

Luke managed to make another sound, this one sounded like "Daaaaaaaaaaa…"

"I hope you heard that!" Vader snapped at the medic. In his excitement, he forgot to tell the medic that Luke wasn't his son, just a child he had found on the street.

The medic stared at the child in his arms, "I heard that. Well, it remains the same." He continued to detach the boy.

"What are you doing? He needs that!"

Luke gave another helpless whimper.

"If he is strong enough to move and to try to speak, he is strong enough to breathe on his own. This room is needed for others."

Vader stared in incredulous amazement as the man finished freeing the little boy from the tangle of tubes. When he was done, he handed Luke's thin body to Vader and shooed them out of the room.

Vader carried his precious bundle back to his ship, boarded, and flew back to his castle. In his arms, Luke made a few more feeble attempts at moving or speaking. Finally, he carried the thin body into his home and rested the child on the bed he'd prepared in case the boy had decided to come live with him.

Luke gave a little sigh as his body sank into the mattress. Vader sat beside him and put one hand on the child's shoulder. Luke looked up at him in utter trust and Vader swore to himself that he would never let anything else touch the boy again.

I can save the child, apparently. I can bring happiness to his life. I will be his daddy. He will be my little baby.

Luke moved a little bit more, towards Vader. Vader gathered the thin body on his lap and cradled him there. Luke gave another little whimper.

"Hush, Luke. Don't waste your strength. It'll be all right. I promise."

Luke closed his mouth. Vader wished he could do something for the child to show that he loved him, but he was afraid even to rub the boy's small back. After a few moments, the soft blue eyes closed too.

Vader watched in trepidation as the small boy's breathing slowed, unsure if he was going to sleep or dying. When the boy's breathing evened out, Vader smiled in relief.

He carefully placed the child back on the bed and stood up. He had to admit to himself that he didn't have a clue how to care for a child. That would require some research. Or help. Only one was forthcoming.

Vader walked to his meditation pod and picked up a data pad. He started looking up childcare methods, and found himself longing to curl into a ball in the chair, something both his suit and his pride had prevented for a long time.

Finally, he went to sleep, still gazing at an article.

For the second time in as many days, he was woken by an intruder alert. Again, he engaged a camera. Again it showed the front door. This time, instead of a battered five-year-old, it showed the young woman he'd saved. By all appearances, she was searching the doorframe for a doorbell of some type. Vader didn't have one.

What is she doing here? Doesn't she know that she's putting herself in danger? Why didn't she go back to the baby's father? Vader thought as he walked to the door to let her in.

"Oh, thank goodness you're here! I was afraid I'd never find you again!" The woman's eyes were red-rimmed.

"What happened, why are you here?" Vader ushered her inside.

"He-he killed my- he killed my husband! I tried to go home and there was nothing left except a pile of rubble! I knew that you could protect me, and the baby, but no one else could… Would you, please?"

Vader felt his heart clench. Five years of not having those feelings, then so many times in just a couple of days…

The woman took his hesitation as a no. "Please, I can earn my keep, I swear!"

"There is no need for that. If you could stay here and take care of… Luke, I would protect you."

"Of course, my lord. It would be my pleasure." She smiled gratefully.

"What is your name?"

"My name is Tamah."

"I see. I'm afraid I don't have a room for you. There is a sofa in Luke's room. You can go and buy yourself a bed tomorrow. I'll show you upstairs, then."

Tamah nodded and followed Vader up the stairs to the room Luke was asleep in. She curled on the sofa and he got an extra blanket from the closet. He passed a couple to her and left to get some sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Vader entered the room his-guests? New family members?-the new additions to his home had slept in to find Tamah holding Luke, who was crying inconsolably.

"I don't know why he's crying like this," Tamah said apologetically. "I don't think I did anything to frighten him."

Vader walked to the bed too and took Luke out of her arms. "I don't believe you did anything to upset him. I just took him in yesterday. Before that, he was a slave in a sewer gang. Apparently I'm the only one who felt anything other than hatred towards him. They obviously had no qualms about beating him. He might have thought that you would hurt him too."

Luke had calmed down considerably in Vader's arms, proving that he was right. Vader carried the child to the sofa Tamah had slept on the night before. He sat down and let the child relax in his arms. Tamah joined them and reached out to brush Luke's cheek with her fingertips, as she did, Luke looked up at Vader questioningly.

"It's all right, Luke. She's a friend."

Luke refocused on Tamah and smiled a bit. The motion tore at his already broken gums and tears started to trickle down his cheeks again. Vader gently brushed them away.

"Hush, Luke. It will be all right, I promise."

"Ih hurs…" Luke slurred.

"Talking hurts?"

Luke nodded, "Ery hing hurs."

"Are you gums bleeding much?" Vader asked.

Luke opened his mouth to show instead of trying to talk again.

"I think we should get you back to the hospital. That needs professional treatment." Vader stood up and gathered Luke up again. He motioned to Tamah to follow him.

He carried the small child through hall after hall, until he reached the hanger. Leading Tamah up the boarding ramp of a shuttle, he passed the child to her and proceeded into the cockpit. Unsure what to do, she followed.

Vader sat in the pilot's chair and waited until Tamah had attached the crash webbing around herself and carefully wrapped her arms around the little boy. Luke resisted the cuddling for a moment, then relaxed in her arms, remembering Vader's belief that she was a friend.

Tamah carefully smoothed his hair and watched as the stars turned to streaks. When they reached the medcenter, Vader stood and led Tamah into one of the individual rooms.

He quickly explained their predicament to a medic, while the medic looked back and forth between Tamah and Vader.

Finally, Vader realized what he was thinking. "She's a friend." He snapped.

The medic nodded, but still looked unsure.

Vader decided that, in one way or another, this man was very, very stupid. He pointed to Luke, "Adopted," to Tamah's round belly, "Not mine," to himself, "I have no family! Now, please treat the boy and stop making stupid assumptions."

He would have liked to snap the man's neck, but the child who sat on the examination table was crying. There were two reasons that the boy would cry that Vader could think of. One, Vader was scaring him. Two, his mouth was hurting more. Neither one would be improved by Vader killing the medic.

The medic finally got the message and knelt before the boy. Before the medic even had to ask, Luke opened his little mouth to show his bleeding gums.

Suddenly, the suspicious medic of the moment before was replaced with a child's doctor.

"Ouch! What happened there?" He asked Luke.

Vader had no more tolerance for this second idiot than he had had for the first. "He can't talk without hurting himself more, you imbecile. Just treat him."

The medic stood up, "All right. If you'll bring the boy this way."

Vader picked the little boy up and carried him after the medic.

The medic motioned to an operation table and Vader rested the child on it.

"I'm going to put him to sleep and have a surgeon sew his gums back together." He promptly scampered away, eager to leave Vader's menacing presence.

Vader smiled behind his mask. A surgeon came in, and Vader was glad to see a familiar, no nonsense professional. She reached out and took Luke in her arms. The small boy closed his eyes and she allowed herself a smile.

"This isn't going to hurt, all right, Sweetie?"

Luke nodded quietly.

She carefully inserted a needle into Luke's arm, injected the medicine, and removed the syringe.

"It's going to put you to sleep. Don't be scared."

Luke nodded again. His head tilted slightly, and Vader watched as he fell asleep. Tamah walked up to the boy, finally, and took him out of the medic's arms. Then she laid him on the bed and waited with Vader as the medic carefully sewed Luke's gums back together.

After ten minutes, Luke's gums were in a healthier looking state. Vader walked forward and picked him up.

"He will feel better now?" he asked.

"When he wakes up, he will be able to move him mouth, but it will continue to be painful for him. Do not expect him to answer quickly, or even at all. He is young enough that he only lost his baby teeth, so when his new teeth try to grow in, it will cause him pain. When he starts to complain, bring him back and I'll remove the stiches."

Vader just nodded. "It would be safe to return home?"

"Yes, Lord Vader. Do not keep him just in your home, however. He is still just a little boy. He needs to be taken out, and he needs to spend time with both of you."

Vader nodded. Then he turned, and left the room. Tamah followed him, thanking the medic on her way out.

Safe in Vader's arms, Luke snuffled quietly. "It's okay, Luke. Don't be afraid."

Tamah followed behind, and soon they were outside. Luke rolled over and woke up as his little nose hit a sharp angle on Vader's mask.

"Ow!" Luke pulled back, rubbing his nose.

Vader moved his son somewhere safer in his arms. "Sorry, Luke."

"Ith not your fault." Luke mumbled. "Where're we goin'?"

"We are going home."

"Otay. Can I walk?"

"Yes, of course." Vader rested his adopted son on the ground and took one little hand. Luke walked alongside his father for about half of the way back to the castle, before being picked up and carried as he fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

"Dahy?" Luke reached up to pull on his father's cape.

"Yes, Luke?"

"Ca I go to the par'?" Luke asked hopefully.

"Not by yourself."

"Ca' you cum wi' me?"

"No, Luke. Go find Tamah, she'll take you."

Luke frowned, "I wa'a go wi' you!"

"I know you do, Luke. But I can't do that right now."

"Why 'ot?"

"Because I have to be working, okay?"

"'o. Cum wi' me."

"I can't. We'd get in trouble. You don't want to be in trouble, do you?"

From the first, Luke had been frightened by that word. Vader could only assume that it was because of how he had been raised. The only trouble was, Vader never knew quite how strongly it would affect Luke. Today, it made him cry.

"No! No!" Luke wailed helplessly.

Vader spun and scooped the boy up, hugging him. "Hush, hush. Don't be frightened. I won't let anything happen to you. I promise you that."

"I don' wanna get in trouble!" Luke gave another howl and hid himself more closely against his father's chest.

Vader was silent, stroking his son's back. Safe in his arms, Luke began to calm.

After about ten minutes, only quiet sniffles remained.

"Don' wanna be in trouble." Luke whimpered.

"I know, I know." Vader promised.

"No trouble?"

"We're not going to be in trouble."

Luke sniffled again, and Vader sensed that he would remain clinging to his father for a while.

"Let go of my neck, Luke."

Luke sniffled, and released. "Ith gonna be o'ay?"

"Yes."

Luke sat on Vader's lap, his small limbs wrapped around his father's waist. Vader found it increasingly difficult to focus on his work, what with the small boy attached to his person.

Finally, he gave up, "All right, Luke. We can go to the park."

"But we'll get in trouble!" Luke exclaimed.

"No, we won't. We can go."

"Really?" Luke smiled eagerly.

"Yes, really."

Luke clambered off and grabbed his father's hand, pulling him towards the door.

_I can't let Master know that I'm out at a kid's park, playing with a five year old. I'll just have to let him play, while I hang back._ Vader allowed the boy to drag him to a nearby park before letting go of the child's hand.

Luke walked right up to some children playing in a sand box, "Hi. Ca' I p'ay wi' you?" he asked.

A boy turned to the girl next to him, "I didn't know they let the crazies out today. I thought that was tomorrow."

Luke looked at the boy with wide, hurt eyes. "I jus' wa'a p'ay."

"Listen to him, he can't even talk!" The girl laughed at Luke.

Luke stopped trying to talk and reached out for one of the buckets, hoping to join in more quietly.

He was immediately hit with a small plastic shovel. He pulled back and started shaking violently, scared that he would be treated as he had been when he was a slave, and only adding to the other's idea that he was crazy.

"Come on. I don't wanna play with the crazies." The boy stood up, and the rest of the group followed him.

Luke was left alone amongst all the toys the children had been playing with. He picked up a bucket and a shovel, and moved towards the children playing on the play structure. Having learned better than trying to speak to the children, Luke simply held out the bucket.

A cry came from one of the first group he had approached, "Don't play with him! He's a crazy!"

The next group of children scattered before Luke. One child stayed just long enough to throw a fistful of gravel at the young slave boy.

"Like it's not bad enough you're a crazy! They make you ugly too!"

Luke turned away from the playground and sat down in the sandbox. He dug a few shovelfuls of sand into the bucket. He looked into the bucket, and then continued to fill it. Vader watched the child pack it down with his small hands.

Then the child turned it, and a cascade of dry sand covered his feet. Looking at his attempt at a sand castle, Luke started to cry. Vader longed to run to the child, and comfort him, but he knew how Palpatine would take it.

Luke tried again with the same effects. He tried repeatedly and finally just sat amongst the tiny sand dunes and cried. At last he stood up and rejoined his father. Vader looked at his red-rimmed eyes and pulled him close.

"Don't cry, Luke. Don't cry. It's all right. They're not good enough to play with you if they can't see past your wounds. It's going to be okay. They'll forget about it."

Luke sniffled, "I won'."

"I know. Don't worry about it. It's their loss."

Luke looked up at Vader with huge, trusting eyes. "O'ay."

Vader carried the boy home, holding him close and daring anyone to challenge him. He knew that their conversation hadn't made Luke feel much better. He hated the children for leaving Luke when he only wanted to play, but there was a special hatred, reserved for the one who had told Luke that he was ugly. Vader wondered what the child would say if he saw Vader without his mask.

He would have killed the children, all of them, if Luke hadn't been the one they had hurt. He had seen the little boy's response to simply picking up a knife while cooking; killing anyone around the child was out of the question.

When they arrived back home, Tamah was already cooking for Luke's lunch, and Luke was still sniffling on Vader's shoulder.

"What happened?" Tamah asked concernedly.

"Luke insisted upon me taking him to the park, and the other children hurt him."

"Poor Luke," Tamah reached out for the child, but he clung more tightly to his father's neck. Tamah smiled at Vader, "I suppose he still likes you more."

Under his mask, Vader smiled too.

Luke managed to sniffle away the last of his tears and look around to see Tamah. In a motion Vader didn't quite understand, Luke glared at her, and held on even tighter.

Tamah looked slightly hurt, "Are you hungry, Luke?"

"NO." Luke said, loudly and clearly, despite the pain it caused him.

Tamah looked at him in hurt confusion.

"I think I'm going to take him up to his room. Then he can speak to me privately." Vader told her.

He carried Luke up the stairs and laid him on his bed. Lying in the middle of the bed, Luke looked very small. Vader brushed his son's hair through his fingers.

"Are you all right, Luke?"

Luke gave another sniffle, "I don' li'e 'er."

"Why not? She feeds you and takes care of you when I can't."

"She thinks you love her." Luke snapped.

"I'm very grateful to her for taking care of you."

"But she thinks you _love_ her! She thinks she loves you too! She said she wants to marry you! I hate her! You're my daddy! She can't have you!" Luke's enunciation became perfectly clear in his anger, but it tore at his gums and he began to cry.

"Luke, I wouldn't marry her. I was married once, and it did not work out well for my wife. I have no feelings for Tamah."

"Good."

Vader sat beside the crying child, rubbing the little back. "Don't cry. Don't cry, little one. You don't have any competition from her. I'm sure she didn't mean it. She just lost her baby's father. She wouldn't want to remarry so soon. I'm sure she wasn't trying to say that."

"She was." Luke's eyes closed, and he snuggled against Vader.

Vader waited until the child was asleep before standing up. He rejoined Tamah in the kitchen.

"Tamah?"

"Oh! Hello, Lord Vader."

"Luke said that you… were attracted to me." Vader said awkwardly.

"What?" Tamah tipped her head to the side in confusion.

"That you were… romantically inclined." Vader tried again, feeling suddenly as though Luke might have simply been a bit paranoid.

"What?" Tamah asked again. "What made him think that?"

"I have no idea. He just said that you wanted to marry me. Was he just being paranoid?"

"Marry you?"

"Yes." Vader suddenly wished he could sink into the floor.

"After what happened to my last husband."

"Apparently."

"He asked me how I got a baby inside me, and I had to give him an abridged version of "The Talk"."

"What would that have to do with anything?"

"He… um… asked me how I got a baby inside me, and I told him that it happened because I did something special with my husband because we loved each other very much. Then he asked if most people have spouses, and I said that if they are nice, they usually do. That led him to ask why you didn't have a wife. I told him I didn't know, and I thought you were a very nice person, who certainly deserved to have a good wife. Then he stopped talking to me. I suppose I should have guessed that I'd messed up at that point."

"I see. I will explain this to Luke in the morning."

"In the morning? But it's only noon!" Tamah looked at Vader in surprise.

"Luke has gone to sleep. I think that going to the park, and then crying, wore him out."

"He'll wake up sometime in the night." Tamah warned.

"He probably will."

"And he'll be hungry, and he's too shy to wake one of us up."

"I'll take him some food." Vader nodded.

Vader took the boy a thermos of stew and returned to the work he had been interrupted from.


	6. Chapter 6

When Luke woke up late that night, he immediately found the thermos and opened it. Slowly drinking half the contents, he looked around his room. Unlike the nights before, Tamah was nowhere in sight. No one was in sight. Luke shivered. He wasn't used to being alone, and he wasn't sure he liked it. Suddenly, the shadows looked much larger and darker.

Luke did not like the dark, he decided. There were entirely too many things that could be hidden in it. Carefully, he pulled his bare feet out of the covers and slipped them down to the floor. Immediately he realized that, while in the dark he could see very little, he could see absolutely nothing under the bed. He yanked his feet back up and crawled slowly to the edge of the bed, poking his head down to peek under.

Nothing.

He sat up and slowly slipped his feet back to the ground. Again he pulled them back up, but this time only because the floor was cold. Placing them back on the floor one more time, he stood up. He began groping his way through the darkness, towards where he thought the door was.

He didn't find it. Letting out a frightened whimper, he started to follow the walls. Each step seemed to take him farther from his bed, the only thing he was sure of. Finally, he decided to cope with the dark and started back towards his bed.

Much like his attempt to find the door, he found only wall. He sobbed helplessly. Again he began to grope around the walls again, this time ready to take the door, his bed, or the light switch. Suddenly the wall he was following ended. Another startled wail escaped him.

He let himself fall to the floor, crawling on his hands and knees, searching for something, anything, but the apparently false wall he had been following.

Finally, he crawled right into something very hard. He sat down on the floor, put his now bruised head in his hands, and cried. He wanted his mommy and daddy. He wanted his new daddy. He wanted Tamah. By now, he even wanted Don.

Luke didn't hear Vader coming until he was in the room, lightsaber blazing. At the sudden light from the hallway, Luke pulled his head out of his hands and blinked a couple of times before racing over to his father and wrapping his arms around his legs.

He looked up finally, and saw Vader looking down at him with confusion. As he watched the man's mask, the red lightsaber retracted back into its grip, and Vader slowly knelt down.

He didn't speak, just pulled his son into his arms, cradling him close. Luke hiccupped loudly. Vader overcame his fear of hurting the boy with comforting gestures and slowly stroked his small back. Luke hiccupped again and snuggled close against his father.

"Are you all right, Luke?" He asked finally.

"M-hmm. It's just really dark in here. An' I don't think I like the dark. 'Cause I thought something was going to eat me an' then I wanted to find you, an' I couldn't find the door, an' then I couldn't find my bed, an' I couldn't find the light switch, an' I thought I was following a wall an' then it was gone, an' then I crawled around looking for my bed an' I bonked my head. An' I'm just really glad you're here now!"

His father stood up, carrying him along and placing him on his bed again. He sat down next to the child. "Would you like a nightlight?"

"M-hmm. I think that'd make it better. Can I stay with you tonight though? The monsters'll get me if you go away."

Vader pulled him closer, tucking him protectively under his arm.

"Yes, child."

Luke sniffled and nodded, "Thanks." He wrapped himself around one of his father's arms, clinging tightly to the leather-like fabric.

When Vader sighed, Luke couldn't help letting out a giggle. His daddy sounded so strange when he sighed! Vader picked him up again and carried him down the stairs to sit in the living area.

His daddy walked over to a datapad and picked it up, starting to read. Luke sat on the sofa watching him for a while before he grew tired again. He crawled off the sofa and up into his daddy's chair, making himself comfortable on the man's lap. Vader continued reading as if nothing had happened. Luke looked down at the words on the page, wondering if he would ever understand the secret language of the little squiggles. They looked thoroughly meaningless to him now.

Finally, he put his head on his father's arm and started to drift off again. Something kept him from really sleeping, though.

He was so happy to have this new life. It was so wonderful to him, now, after all these years of imprisonment. His entire life, all he'd known was being used and abused, but now he had his new daddy who hated the people who'd hurt him, and cared about him, wanting him safe and happy.

He rolled over to look up at his daddy's mask.

"Why've you gotta wear a mask, Daddy?"

"Because of the injustices of the galaxy." His daddy rocked him slowly and he felt his eyelids droop.

"What does that mean?"

"I must wear this suit because someone hated me for doing what I thought was right. He tried to kill me."

Luke scowled, "I hate him."

"Don't hate him, Luke. At least know someone before you hate them."

"I hate him. He hurt you an' you're nice so he must be evil." Luke proclaimed.

"Don't hate people who don't understand. Pity them. You should save hatred until you are older." Vader stroked Luke's head, making every attempt to calm him. "You're not ready for hatred yet. When you are ready, I will ask you to hate. But not yet. Stay a little boy for at least a little longer.

Luke blinked up at his father with confusion. That didn't make any sense. If he was gonna have to hate later, shouldn't he start now? Nonetheless, his most pressing question answered, he was suddenly aware of how late at night it was.

"Don't put me back to bed, okay?"

"I won't." Vader promised.

Luke nodded contentedly and curled up in his father's arms, quickly slipping back into the vast sea of unconsciousness.


	7. Chapter 7

When Luke woke up the next day, it seemed his daddy had honoured his wish to stay together. He was still curled up against the black fabric of his father's arm. He yawned and stretched, rolling over to lie on his back, so he could look up into daddy's face.

"Good morning," Daddy said nicely.

Luke smiled up at him, "Hi."

"How do you feel this morning?" Daddy asked.

"Good. What're you reading?"

Vader closed the datapad, "An article on childcare. Nothing interesting, I assure you."

Luke smiled and stretched again, "Can you help me?"

"What do you need help with, child?"

"My back hurts. Can you see what it is?" Luke asked, pulling off his pyjama shirt.

Vader gently touched the child's back, "Where does it hurt?"

"Up," Luke directed.

Vader followed the boy's direction.

"To the side. No, the other one."

Vader continued trying until suddenly a gentle prod caused Luke to cry out pitifully.

Vader yanked his hand back, and the boy announced, unnecessarily, "Yeah. Right there."

"How bad is it, child?"

Luke sniffled, "Pretty bad."

"Poor baby," Vader used the Force to sense the composition of his son's back, each wound and scar. He pushed his way through all the pains the poor boy was coping with and found the one the boy had asked for help with.

"It's a bad bruise. I suppose you fell asleep on it. I'll try to solve the problem," he carefully closed the bleeding vein and used the Force to make the particles join one another on either side.

"There, is that better?"

Luke sniffled, but nodded, "Yeah, thanks."

"I can't believe anyone could do something like this to you."

Luke sighed sadly, "I can't believe it either sometimes. And sometimes I even hate him," he lowered his voice, as though ashamed.

"You're entitled to hate him. After what he did to you, I hate him."

"But, Daddy, you said not to hate people just 'cause they'd hurt someone you love."

"Yes, I did. I know. But, I may have left something out. I perhaps deserved, in a way, what Obi-Wan did. But I am certain that you did nothing to deserve what he did to you."

Luke frowned, his slight mouth making a distinct inverse U, "He always said I had."

"What did he say you'd done wrong?" Vader asked, concerned.

Luke bowed his head further, seeming very small and ashamed, "He said I should've been bringing kids back."

"He wanted you doing _what_?"

"He wanted me to bring back more kids so he could keep them prisoner and make them work too," Luke looked up at Vader, "It's okay I wasn't, isn't it? Or should I have listened? Should I've been bringing back more kids?"

"No, Luke. He was enslaving you, hurting you. He would have done the same to any children you brought back. You were right to leave them safe in their homes."

"Oh, good. I was afraid I'd made a mistake. He used to say that was all I ever did."

"Luke, you were right to do as you did. Not everything you ever did was a mistake. I'm sure you've made a couple of mistakes over your life. But that's only usual."

Luke didn't seem very comforted, and Vader found himself wrapping his arms tightly around the boy, "Luke, he had no right to do this to you. I promise you that."

"He taught me different," Luke said despondently.

Vader finally stood up, "Luke, I can't bear to hear you talk like this any longer. Tell me where I can find him. I'm ending this now."

Luke looked up at his father, "I'll show you. Why?"

"I need to talk to him," Vader answered, not entirely truthfully.

"Okay. Put me down?"

Vader put his son down, and the little boy took his hand again.

Luke held his father tightly as he led the older man down the stairs, through roads which he hadn't traveled since his saving. As they neared the caverns in which Luke had grown up, the young boy pressed closer to Vader, until the man had to shorten his long strides to avoid stepping on the boy.

As he realized how frightened the boy was becoming, he knelt down and held the boy for a moment.

"Luke, I'm here. I'll protect you from anything, I promise you that."

Luke sniffled and nodded, "I know you will."

"Be brave, son. Show him that he hasn't won. Stand tall. Be strong. Show him that he doesn't have the right or the power to crush anyone. Show all the other children too, show them that they can be helped, alright?"

Luke seemed stronger for Vader's words, and he stood up straighter, nodding.

"That's right. Now, stay strong, and show them that this can be overcome. All the times he's hurt them he's told them that they are nothing. Just like he told you. Show them that you can all be something again."

Luke nodded once more, his scared expression changed to one of determination.

"That's my son."

Luke started trotting off again, pulling his father by his hand.

"Slow down, Luke. You have to be dignified. Don't rush yourself."

Luke looked up at his father, seeming unsure, but then he nodded and led Vader deeper into the catacombs.

"Do you feel brave, Luke?" Vader asked gently, wishing to ascertain whether the boy was just acting, wanting to scare his one-time slaver.

Luke looked up at his father, looking confused, "Yes. I'm brave for all the other kids he's hurt."

Vader found himself smiling behind his mask, "That's right, child."

As the boy looked at him with an expression of mixed determination, anger, and veiled pain, and was reminded of another face which had held the same feelings years ago. It was his own face, caught in a reflection of a window after he'd been rejected by the Jedi Council, but promised a future by Qui-Gon.

"Child? They said they didn't know who your parents were."

Luke's eyes focused on the ceiling, clearly keeping himself strong by lack of eye contact, "They didn't know."

"It sounds to me as if you do."

"I do."

"Would you like to tell me?"

"You would hate me."

"Luke, I could never hate you."

"My father was a Jedi."

Vader bit his lip hard, "Anakin?"

Luke nodded pensively, "Anakin Skywalker."

Vader felt he should be shocked, should be crying for joy, but he was barely startled at all, "You really are my son, then."

And as he had felt he should, he had expected Luke to burst into tears, but the child didn't. He just nodded.

Vader needed to affirm his son once again, as his son, "You really are the bravest child I've ever met."

"Are we going to do this or not?" Luke asked, his brave face starting to melt away.

"We're going to do this," Vader promised.

And Doom came for Don in the form of a young son, holding his father's hand tightly, and pointing.


End file.
